The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the administrative jurisdiction of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India  has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates several legacy acts and orders related to food that have hitherto handled in various Ministries and Departments under a single legislation.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India·

• Oversees the entire food chain (farm to table)
• Assurance that only safe foods are placed in the market
• Relies on data based intelligence of surveillance and monitoring – hence its predictive and preventive control system
• Promotes shared responsibility with food business by linking them to Public Health goals.
• Enables compliance through improvement notices and by addressing training gaps
• Science based standards – minimum effective regulations

They do this through a safety assessment process and by establishing risk assessed standards and guidelines through the supply chain, namely production, manufacturing, import distribution and sale. Several bodies whose roles and functions are mandated under the FSSAI Act, 2006 work collaboratively under a scientific risk assessment framework.

Standard development activities:

National activity

The chairperson and members of the Food Authority in FSSAI has been entrusted with setting standards, policy making and advising the central Government on health goals for India. It lay down science based standards for articles of food including new technology-based foods and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

 As a policy on Health Goals for India,

• The Food Authority takes into account several factors including international best practices while setting standards under provisions of the FSSAI Act, 2006.
• General standards that apply to all foods as well as over 300 product standards are available on FSSAI website and constantly being revised / amended.

The Scientific Committee, framed under the Act is engaged in constantly updating the standards either through revision or amendment with the help of 8 Scientific Panels working under it.

International activity

Codex India

FSSAI has been designated as the nodal point for liaison with the Codex Alimentarius Commission CAC).

The National Codex Contact Point (NCCP), "Codex India" has been constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for keeping liaison with the CAC and to coordinate Codex activities in India. Core functions of NCCP includes

To receive all Codex final texts (standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other advisory texts) and working documents of Codex Sessions and ensure that these are circulated to those concerned;

To send comments on Codex documents or proposals to the CAC or its subsidiary bodies and /or the Codex Secretariat within the time frame;

To get in touch with NCCP, click here